The New South Wales (NSW) State Brain Clot Bank, in Sydney, is aiming to collect over 1400 specimens from donors at the hi-tech facility over the next four years. Researchers will focus on cryptogenic stroke – those caused by a blood clot of unknown origin. These make up between 30 and 40 per cent of all patients whose stroke was caused by a blood clot and can be difficult to treat since the cause is not known.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina analysed studies tracking 500 stroke survivors (aged 54 to 71) as they completed aerobic exercise programmes. Participants, aged 54 to 71, attended two to three sessions per week for about three months. Of nearly two dozen different exercise groups, walking was the most common type of activity, followed by stationary cycling and then mixed mode aerobic exercise. Physical abilities were tested before and after the intervention.

The annual suicide rate for US veterans with a TBI was measured as 86 out of 100,000 ‘person years’, versus 37 out of 100,000 for those with no previous TBI diagnosis. Person years factor in both the number of people in a study and the amount of time each person spends in it. In this case sample data was taken from the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) and the National Death Index between 2005 and 2015, alongside more than 1.4 million US military veterans’ electronic medical records, were used throughout this study. Firearms were the leading means of suicide for both TBI and non-TBI veterans with 68 per cent of the case studies indicating the use of the gun.

Scientists are exploring the relationship between nerve cells and immune cells in the brain which seem to play key roles in the onset of both diseases. These include neurons and the cells that form them, creating the body’s nervous network and allowing the brain to monitor and control it; and microglia – immune cells which patrol the brain, defending  neurons from threatening invaders. Led by the New York Stem Foundation Research Institute, researchers launched newly created diseased and healthy cell samples into space to observe them away from the Earth’s gravitational pull.

A new study suggests that closer focus on levels of the protein tau in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) could improve diagnosis, giving a clearer picture of the individual’s outlook. Tau has long been associated with traumatic brain injury, with studieslinking it to both acute symptoms and long-term complications. It is also known to have a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A new study has provided further evidence that levels of tauincrease in children with brain injuries and could be used to gauge their severity. It could also reduce the need for CT scans, amid some concerns about the potential impact of radiation and sedation on young children.